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Hot Crawfish Dip

Source of Recipe

From "Come on Over!" by Elizabeth Heiskell


Recipe Introduction

"Until crawfish tails became readily available in frozen packages, this dip would have been impossible to make. I don't know about you, but if I am going to go through the trouble of peeling a crawfish, I am damn sure going to eat the tail and not save it for later! The original version of this family recipe had a ton of red pepper in it, so much that you need a gallon of beer to get through it. I substitute Creole seasoning, Tony Chachere's brand to be exact. When I cater a cocktail buffet, I always include at least one beautiful silver chafing dish, generally filled with a delicious, creamy dip. This one always gets rave reviews."

List of Ingredients

◦ 2 pounds fresh or frozen peeled crawfish tails
◦ � cup sliced green onions (white and green parts)
◦ 8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter
◦ 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
◦ 8 cloves garlic, minced, or 2 teaspoons garlic powder
◦ 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning (preferably Tony Chachere's)
◦ 1 � teaspoons liquid crab boil
◦ 1 � teaspoons pepper
◦ Salt
◦ � to � cup chicken broth (if using fresh crawfish)
◦ Assorted crackers, for serving


Recipe

Thaw the crawfish in the package, if frozen; drain, reserving the liquid from the package.

In a large saucepan, cook the green onions in the butter until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the crawfish; cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes, until heated through.
Break up any large pieces of crawfish.

Stir in the cream cheese, garlic, Creole seasoning, crab boil, pepper, and salt to taste. Stir in enough of the reserved crawfish liquid or chicken broth (if using fresh crawfish) until the mixture reaches dipping consistency. Cook until heated through. Serve warm with crackers.

Serves 20





❧ Chef Tip:
When buying packaged crawfish tails, always remember to look at the country of origin. You want to make sure they are from the U.S. Even if the name on the front says "Southern Crawfish Tails," still check the back. Chances are the only thing Southern about these tails is the name! Because there are no regulations for foreign crawfish, the quality can be unreliable�plus you'll be supporting American producers.